November 2016 Gratefulness

November often marks the month of gratitude and thanksgiving. A feeling of gratefulness and thankfulness is a wonderful thing indeed. The importance of gratitude in our daily lives allows us to experience life at its best. The more grateful we are, the more we can experience living a life filled with a meaningful purpose and passion.

It is easy to express gratitude when things are going well, life is in balance and everything is going smoothly. However, sometimes we tend to take things for granted or perhaps we forget to say thank you or express our gratitude as often as we could be doing. Then, the unthinkable happens; an accident, crises or unexpected set back. Feeling grateful during the challenging times, is just as crucial as during the good times.

Feeling grateful during uncertain times can be difficult. But we can choose an attitude of gratitude to help us cope by reframing our perspective during a disaster or dealing with a challenge when the outcome is unpredictable. Did you know that grateful people are more stress resistant? There’s a number of studies showing that in the face of serious trauma, adversity, and suffering, if people have a grateful disposition, they’ll recover more quickly. I believe gratitude gives people a perspective from which they can interpret negative life events and help them guard against post-traumatic stress and lasting anxiety.

I’m not suggesting to ignore painful emotions or fear that may be present or even reliving the entire trauma, but instead, reframing a different perspective on the situation. Choosing gratitude provides a perspective from which we can view life along with the present situation and not be overwhelmed with the temporary circumstances. Perhaps asking questions such as:

What am I learning from this experience? What is the lesson or lessons I can take away from this crises?

Have my negative feelings about the experience limited or prevented my ability to feel gratitude in the time since it occurred?

Was there a certain element or awareness that the experience may have drew out of me? Perhaps you did not know you had this ability within you. Did it make you more resilient? Empowered?

Grateful people look at stressful events with a fresh perspective to gain insight. This is a choice that takes willpower, practice and something that can be learned by anyone.

When did you choose gratitude during a crises or challenging time in your life? What method did you use for reframing a fresh perspective to gain new insight and wisdom? Please feel free to share.